Just past the extensive field of eel grass the coral reefs in Bunaken begin to slope gently for a short time before the huge drop on the edge of the reef which goes off into the blue. There are so many different types of soft and hard corals which make a network of gaps, tunnels and holes which are used by smaller fish and critters to hide.

Staghorn corals occasionally hide beautiful fish like the Mandarinfish which come out at dusk to mate. Many crabs also hide behind this spiky looking hard coral. Table corals in Bunaken also have many juvenile three-spot dascyllus and damselfish bouncing around. If you click your fingers close to them they disappear into the maze of coral behind but if you wait long enough and they will come out again. In between larger coral formations you might see juvenile batfish and bannerfish sheltering from the currents and predators. Boxfish play around in the shallow corals in Bunaken and always find somewhere to disappear into and hide from cameras and lights.

At night time it is amazing to see how many different animals appear from behind the reef. So many small cleaning and dancing shrimps, moray eels, crabs and lobsters all making their way out of holes to feed and hunt. Some of the hard corals in Bunaken have softer tentacles which feed at night time. It is almost like there are millions of tiny arms coming out of some of the corals.

This week we have had Kristy starting her first week of her PADI Divemaster Internship and we have already been doing a lot of skill practice with some diving out on the walls in the past few days. She is loving the beautiful corals in Bunaken and the reefs in the shallows. Kristy also took the photo for this Blog! You can see more photos of our reefs and fish taken by Kristy on our Two Fish Divers Bunaken Facebook page.

Jens is also doing his Divemaster trainee but is now on the second half of his training. He has just finished helping with a PADI Rescue Diver Course and is studying for one of his final exams. On the boat he has been practising his dive briefings while looking after the guests and helping the guides.

We have a family staying here at our Two Fish Divers Bunaken Resort who have started their PADI Open Water Course and one of them is also taking the PADI Advanced Open Water Course. It’s so much fun teaching families how to dive so they can enjoy diving family holidays together!! Holidays that involve scuba diving and seeing fish are the best!! Cass and Xavier were visiting from Perth and stayed for a week of fun diving in Bunaken! They saw everything they hoped for including eagle rays underwater! They even had a school of hundreds of dolphins surrounding the boat on the way back to Two Fish Divers after their dives. Hope to see you back again!

We also have Tina, Nigel and their kids Rebecca and Zach in Bunaken on holiday at the moment and it is really nice to see them back home again! it was the annual blessing and Christmas party of Two Fish Divers Bunaken on the 20th of December. All of our staff have been preparing and decorating for the weeks before and then we were joined by their families, kids as well as staff from Manado and Lembeh. We had lots of music and singing at our Blue Parrot Beach Cafe afterward which was a lot of fun!

It has been an exciting week and everyone is now looking forward to Christmas!

Would you like to join us for diving in North Sulawesi? The corals in Bunaken are among the most pristine in Indonesia and our tropical island resort is the ideal place to kick back and relax! Why not take your next level of PADI Course in Bunaken? Or become a PADI Divemaster? Whatever you decide, the corals in Bunaken and our amazing marine life is waiting for you!

For more information about diving sand staying with us, fill in the form below and we will get right back to you!